Member of Parliament for Tarkwa Nsuaem MP George Mireku Duker is urging the private sector to do more to support the development of local communities.

He said government cannot do it all alone in terms of ensuring adequate development in communities, and business firms must get involved.

“The development we seek in our societies should not be relegated solely to the efforts of government. But through strong private partnership and involvement, we can achieve this sustainably,” he noted.

He was speaking when he engaged managers of various financial institutions in Tarkwa to urge them to implement more corporate social responsibility initiatives within the Tarkwa – Nsuaem Municipality.

“Entities such as yours contribute to nation building by supplementing government’s efforts.

“We all share a common responsibility and an opportunity to create a better world. Whether you are an individual or institution existing in a given space,” Mr. Duker noted.

Mr. Duker also presented to the financial institutions details of a needs assessment exercise conducted in consultation with representatives of various communities, and urged them to focus on these areas in their corporate responsibility initiatives.

Among others, the MP urged the financial institutions to focus on capacity building for residents, credit facilities for small/medium scale businesses, provision of ICT infrastructure and equipment in schools, provision of toilet facilities, mechanised boreholes, apprenticeship training, expanding educational facilities, among others.

Representatives of various financial institutions welcomed efforts by the MP to engage them on their corporate responsibility initiatives.
“I will forward the suggested areas to the new leadership of the bank for consideration,” Israel Baidoo of the National Investment Bank told the meeting.

Other financial institutions that participated in the meeting include; Stanbic Bank, Absa Bank, Fidelity Bank, National Investment Bank, Zenith Bank, Abii National Bank, Amenfiman Rural Bank and Ahantaman Rural Bank.